Food product.



FOOD PRODUCT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

Application filed July 5, 1904. Serial No. 215,360.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALPHONSE MOREL- LAUTIER, a citizen of the FrenchRepublic, residing at Grasse, in France, have invented a certain new anduseful Food Product, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention has for its object the preparation of an oil withtruffles, to be used as a comestible or food possessing all thecharacteristic properties of the trufiie.

The novel .product has the great advantage, while retaining all theconstituents of the truffle, that it is not, like it, diflicult ofassimilation or digestion, and especially that it requires no painfuland disagreeable mastication. Byits use a much better result is obtainedthan by the truffle itself, which by its very composition only gives upwith great difficulty all its principles. It enables, moreover, aproduct to be obtained of a quality equal to the fresh truflle at anytime of the year and in any country.

Experiments have shown that oils used for comestibles or for food, andespecially olive-oil, possess in a very high degree the property ofdissolving and retaining intact all the desirable constituents of thetruffle. This can be done in such way that it is possible to treat thetrufiles so that all their active principles are completely extractedfrom them without any alteration. In this Way an oil not only highlyperfumed and very delicious in taste is obtained, but a perfect mediumfor carrying the ailmentary principles of the truffle. This result isattained by macerating the truffles in the oil either at the ordinarytemperature or hot. After several such treatments repeated with freshoil the truffles are found to have completely lost their taste, theirsmell, and their active principles, which have all passed over to theoil. They only retain their color, which there is no advantage in takingover.

It is preferable to carry out the process by direct maceration; butanalogous results have been obtained by efiecting the exhaustion of thetruffles byv volatile organic solvents, such as sulfuric ether, benzene,or petroleum ether, then evaporating the solvent and treating theproduct so obtained with the oil. The solid substance of the trufflesafter practically all the active principles thereof as I well as thetaste and smell have been absorbed by the oil is removed from thelatter, leaving only the oil to be used as the food product.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

A food product consistingof an olive-oil extract of 'truflies having thetaste and odor characteristic of the latter, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this20th day of June, 1904.

ALPHONSE MOREL-LAUTIER.

Witnesses:

'Vroron MATRAY,

EDMOND LECAUTURIER.

